Blake Gillette set up camp for America’s Freedom Festival parade at 5:30 a.m. on Friday morning. On Saturday morning as floats and marching bands began trickling down the street, he sat with his neighbors and their families.
They joined some 300,000 other people celebrating the United States’ 250th birthday on a small stretch of University Avenue in Provo, Utah.
For Gillette, Independence Day is a time for gratitude, reflection and community.
“We can get lost in the politics of the day, and you can have your disagreements about the president, about Congress, all of that. But what it all comes down to, and what should unite us, is that this country was built on freedom, inalienable rights and the God-given principles about people governing themselves,” Gillette said.
He added, “That’s what this day is about. All of the other stuff melts away, and we’re just celebrating our independence, because that’s where it started.”
Young moms and their babies, retired veterans, college students and everyone in between meandered through Provo’s main stretch on Saturday morning. Patriotic music hummed from trucks with massive black speakers strapped down in their beds; a man on a onewheel zoomed down the street holding an American flag. Crowds of seated parade goers cheered as he rolled by.
“We love the 4th of July because it represents a people who decided to rule themselves and not be governed by kings and magistrates and dictators,” Gillette said.
Referencing Provo’s nearly 150-year Independence Day traditions, Gillette said, “I think why it’s so powerful here in Provo is because of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ religious belief that the Constitution is ordained of God.”
“There’s a kind of spiritualness infused into the Constitution. I don’t know if any other place has that same power. We don’t believe it because we’re patriots — we believe it because we think God truly did ordain the Founding Fathers to write the Constitution. It’s a divine document, as much as scripture is,” he said.
A Korean War veteran watches the scene
Jewell Meyers, 91, sat in a camp chair on the corner of 200 North in Provo, Utah, watching patriotic parade floats roll by on Saturday morning. He came into town from Rio Rancho, New Mexico, to spend the holiday with his children, grandchildren and great grandchildren.
Independence Day has meant a lot to Meyers throughout his life. Following the example of his older brother, who served in World War II, Meyers enlisted in the Navy as a 17 year old. He left his home in New Orleans, Louisiana and moved aboard the USS Intrepid (CV-11).
“I steered that big ship,” he told the Deseret News. “I stood there at the big helm and operated its gyrocompass.” Meyers also served on the flight deck, pulling chocks from underneath the wheels of the jets before they were catapulted off the aircraft carrier’s runway.
“I love America,” Meyers said, adding, “I don’t like too much what’s going on right now — socialism and communism seem to be rising again, and my goodness, that’s what we fought against, you know? Look what happened to the people under communism. So yeah, I love America."
Meyers referenced the veteran hat he was wearing. “I’m proud to be a veteran,” he said. “Every day, people come up to me and thank me for my service, and I really appreciate that.”
Meyers’ older brother served in World War II and was aboard a ship that the Germans sank. “He was on a life raft in the Atlantic Ocean for 21 days,” Meyers said. For his bravery while his ship was going down, his brother was awarded the Silver Star, the third-highest military combat decoration. “He was only 18,” Meyers said.
Why do you love America?
John Harper, a Marine living in Utah County, told the Deseret News he loves America “because it’s a beacon of hope for the world.”
“It’s a place where everyone can be accepted and grow,” he explained. “If you’re having trouble, you can come here. We have opportunity, freedom and freedom of speech.”
Harper believes the American Dream still lives in 2026. “I grew up in Idaho, moved here, then joined the Marines,” he explained. “Now I’m married and have a home. So it’s the American Dream. Anybody can do it, and if you work hard, you’ll get there.”
Wearing an “It’s cool to love America” hat, Utah Valley University student Ali Anderson walked south through the crowds on University Avenue, Saturday morning.
“America is the land of the free,” she told the Deseret News. “I believe that it’s God’s chosen country, so I’m just really grateful for America and for the freedoms it gives us like the freedom of religion,” Anderson said.
Just a block north sat Provo resident Heather Lassen. Next to her stepdaughter at the parade, Lassen told the Deseret News she feels debt and gratitude for the Founding Fathers. Celebrating the anniversary they signed the Declaration of Independence with her community brings Lassen “a lot of joy,” she said. “It just brings people together.”
